Big Chino Valley Pumped Storage Project (FERC No ) Vegetation Mapping and Habitat Assessment Study Plan

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1 March 21, Introduction Big Chino Valley Pumped Storage LLC (BCV), a subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp. (ITC), submitted a preliminary permit application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) on September 29, 2017 for the proposed Big Chino Valley Pumped Storage Project (FERC No ) (Project). FERC issued BCV a preliminary permit for a term of 36 months on December 28, 2017, which grants priority of application for a license for the Project under Part I of the Federal Power Act. The proposed Project will be located in Yavapai, Coconino, and Mohave Counties, Arizona. The 2,000 MW, closed-loop, pumped storage facility will require the construction of new water storage, water conveyance, generation, and transmission facilities in currently-undeveloped areas. The Project will be located entirely off-stream, meaning neither the upper nor lower reservoir will intercept a perennial surface watercourse. Water to initially fill the reservoir system and required make-up water for evaporation losses will be pumped from groundwater resources. Project reservoirs would occupy approximately 450 acres of lands currently used for grazing. The Project location and configuration is presented in Appendix A. ITC plans to pursue the permits, licenses, and agreements needed to build and operate the Project, and stakeholder engagement will be critical to the Project s success. Over the next two years, ITC will in consultation with stakeholders conduct studies, prepare environmental analyses, and develop a licensing application that will be submitted to FERC. 2.0 Project Nexus and Study Goals Construction, operation, and maintenance of the Project may have the potential to affect vegetation and wildlife habitats. These effects may be direct (e.g., result of ground-disturbing activities, such as mechanical or chemical clearing of vegetation or trampling of plants), indirect (e.g., due to construction activity that results in erosion of adjacent land), or cumulative (e.g., caused by a Project activity in association with a non-project activity, such as loss of habitat due to the introduction of invasive plants from a non-project vector). The goal of this study is to characterize and describe the vegetation types and wildlife habitats within the study area. This study includes the following; Develop ground-truthed mapping of vegetation cover classes and land use in the study area, including assessments of habitat condition. Develop lists of potential wildlife species for the vegetation cover types present in the study area. Note the occurrence of wildlife sightings during the course of the field work. 3.0 Summary of Existing Information A full description of existing information can be found in the Big Chino Valley Pre-Application Document (PAD; ITC 2018). Existing and relevant information regarding habitat types in the Project Page 1

2 and vicinity is available from Arizona Game and Fish Department s (AZGFD) HabiMap database (AZGFD 2015); however, it should be noted that this is based on a model and has not been entirely ground-truthed. The HabiMap database reports 23 vegetation types occurring within the conceptual Project Boundary as defined in the FERC Preliminary Permit for the Project (Table 1). The majority of the study area is currently mapped as either Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland or Apacherian-Chihuahuan Piedmont Semi-Desert Grassland and Steppe. Table 1. Habitat Types Identified within the Study Area Habitat Type Total Acreage 2018 Study Area Acreage Agriculture Apacherian-Chihuahuan Mesquite Upland Scrub Apacherian-Chihuahuan Piedmont Semi-Desert Grassland and Steppe 3, , Chihuahuan Creosotebush, Mixed Desert and Thorn Scrub Colorado Plateau Blackbrush-Mormon-tea Shrubland Colorado Plateau Mixed Bedrock Canyon and Tableland Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland 9, , Developed, Medium - High Intensity Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland Inter-Mountain Basins Juniper Savanna Inter-Mountain Basins Mixed Salt Desert Scrub Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Grassland Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub Steppe Madrean Juniper Savanna Madrean Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Madrean Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Mogollon Chaparral North American Warm Desert Lower Montane Riparian Woodland and Shrubland Open Water Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland Sonora-Mojave Creosotebush-White Bursage Desert Scrub Sonoran Mid-Elevation Desert Scrub Sonoran Paloverde-Mixed Cacti Desert Scrub Total 16, , Page 2 March 21, 2018

3 4.0 Methods 4.1 Study Area The 2018 vegetation mapping and habitat assessment study area will consist of the proposed Project reservoirs and surrounding areas that are projected to be affected by construction activities, including groundwater conveyance areas and access roads (Appendix A). Additional areas, including the right-of-way for the proposed transmission lines and associated access roads, are expected to be evaluated after additional siting efforts are completed. 4.2 Study Methods Vegetation Mapping Prior to field efforts, maps will be created depicting existing Arizona Fish and Game Department (AZFGD) HabiMap desktop mapping for the study area. These maps will be used to select representative vegetation polygons for ground-truthing and field verification. In the field, vegetation types will be mapped on an aerial photograph at a scale of approximately 1 inch equals 250 feet (1 = 250 ) or as appropriate for local conditions. Where vegetation overlaps another type of mapping unit (e.g., a tree canopy over water or roads), the area will be mapped according to the uppermost layer of vegetation. A minimum mapping unit of 0.5 acre will be used when differentiating vegetation types. Some vegetation types may be mapped below the level of 0.5 acre, such as vegetation types typically associated with wetlands, at the discretion of the surveyor. For each vegetation type observed in the field, species composition and percent cover will be recorded on vegetation mapping forms. Nomenclature of vegetation types will generally follow that of the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (USGS 2005). If a vegetation type is recorded that does not conform to a described vegetation type, a new name will be created conforming to the general format of the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project. General habitat condition will be assessed for each polygon using indicators such as level of disturbance, presence and relative dominance of non-native species, and availability of habitat structures. Additionally, field surveyors will record observations of wildlife encountered during field work, with a focus on special-status species and other species of interest (e.g., burrowing owl [Athene cunicularia]). Depending on the access road network of a given portion of the study area, vegetation mapping will generally focus on road-accessible polygons. However, some areas are expected to be covered on foot. If an area is determined to be inaccessible due to high vegetation density, extreme distance from a vehicle accessible road, or due to safety concerns, then the following method will be followed using GIS software in the office: Vegetation morphology and topography will be closely assessed for inaccessible areas using a combination of GIS software and Google Earth Imagery. The nearest area with ground-truthed vegetation data that appears the most similar to an inaccessible area based on aerial features such as color, shading, slope, and texture, will be used to extrapolate into the inaccessible area. Areas that require extrapolation will be noted in study reporting. March 21, 2018 Page 3

4 For any areas that cannot be accessed and cannot be extrapolated, the final vegetation map will default to the HabiMap desktop mapping. Areas that require defaulting to the HabiMap designation will be noted in study reporting. Due to the low level of complexity of the study area, it is expected that only one-third of the total acreage will need to be directly ground-truthed. The remaining areas will be extrapolated based on data gathered during the field surveys Wildlife Habitat Assessment Following ground-truthing, cover type maps will be interpreted by a qualified wildlife biologist experienced with Arizona habitats to develop lists of wildlife potentially occurring in each vegetation type. This information will be combined with field data on habitat condition to describe the potential for wildlife use of the study area, and potential for the Project to adversely affect wildlife or key wildlife habitats. Additionally, areas of unusual habitat types or high-quality habitats of note will be documented, and significant wildlife sightings or observations (e.g., predatory bird nests, burrows with evidence of burrowing owl use, or any observation of Endangered or Threatened species) will be delineated on field maps, included in figures, and noted in study reporting. 5.0 Schedule and Deliverables Reservoir Portion Planning (Step 1)... February March 2018 Study Season (Step 2)... September October 2018 Interim Report to Stakeholders... October 2018 Internal QA/QC Review of Field Data (Step 3)... November 2018 Digitization of Field Maps (Step 4)... December 2018 February (March) 2019 Study Report Preparation (Step 5)... January March 2019 Transmission Portion Planning (Step 1)... February March 2019 Study Season (Step 2)... September October 2019 Interim Report to Stakeholders... October 2019 Internal QA/QC Review of Field Data (Step 3)... November 2019 Digitization of Field Maps (Step 4)... November December 2019 Study Report Preparation (Step 5)... October December 2019 Report Issuance (Step 6)... December 2019 Page 4 March 21, 2018

5 6.0 References Arizona Game and Fish Department. Jan HabiMap Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department GIS Program. [Online] URL: (Accessed December 4, 2017). U.S. Geologic Survey. National Gap Analysis Program Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project Land Cover Descriptions. RS/GIS Laboratory, College of Natural Resources, Utah State University. March 21, 2018 Page 5

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7 Appendix A. Study Area Maps

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9 PROPOSED 2018 STUDY AREA ± Proposed Access Road Preliminary Study Area ry Ac c Qu a am D Proposed Water Conveyance Tunnels per anent Acc es s Roa P erm d sr c es r U p Upp er nt ne Upper Dam Borrow Site Proposed Dam and Spillway P er ma Preliminary Study Area Perm an en tl ow er D Proposed Upper Reservoir (EL 6,180-6,560) Re se rvoir Ac Proposed Underground Powerhouse Picacho Butte es s d oa Proposed Dam Ro ad t oi r erv s e R per o Up Proposed Lower Reservoir (EL 5,170-5,294) 15 ad Ro s a m Acce s Flagstaff Project 40 Location Proposed Access Road 17 Phoenix Proposed Dam and Spillway Lower Dam Borrow Site 8 10 Tucson Miles PROPOSED BIG CHINO VALLEY PUMPED STORAGE PROJECT CONCEPTUAL

10 PROPOSED 2018 STUDY AREA ± LEGEND Proposed Water Conveyance Tunnels Proposed Dam 66 T S Permenent Upper Reservior Access Road Proposed Access Road 40 Permanent Lower Reservior Access Road Proposed Reservoirs Borrow Site Temporary Upper Dam and Reservior Construction Access Road Permanent Lower Dam Access Road Preliminary Study Area Upper Dam Quarry Access Road W Va illi lle am y so R n d Picacho Butte Permanenet Lower Reservior Access Road Access Road and Source Water Pipeline Alignment 15 Flagstaff 40 g Bi Ch o in 17 y lle Va Phoenix 8 10 Tucson Miles PROPOSED BIG CHINO VALLEY PUMPED STORAGE PROJECT CONCEPTUAL